We receive a lot of questions about our Bengal cats here at Pride of Eire. Here you can find a list of the most frequently asked ones.
If you have a different question that you would like to ask about Bengal cats, please feel free to get in touch with us.
You will get a well socialised Kitten ready to enjoy their new home.
They will be de-sexed, have their first vaccination , Microchip and regular flea and worm treatment given. They are also registered with NZCF, in your name. And of course importantly Litter trained. We provide a care sheet on how to care for your kitten and what to feed it
Kittens will be ready for their new homes at 12-13 weeks of age.
If you have a cat allergy then a Bengal is not for you.
Even though Bengals are low allergenic a person who has a cat allergy will still flare up.
If this is your first cat or your children's first cat please expose yourself to your friends or family's cat to see if you have any allergic reaction.
The last thing we want is to have a kitten back because a family member has had an allergic reaction. We want our kittens to go to their forever homes and settle in and be loved. Kittens need stability and will not settle down if they have to be moved many times.
We have been shipping kittens all around New Zealand ever since we started Breeding Bengals and have had no issues so far. Flight cost is additional so please confirm with us when placing your deposit. We use Pet Travel NZ, which fly kittens with Air New Zealand.
The feedback we have from people is that their cat was only too happy to have a cuddle once they arrive at their new home.
This is a question that is often asked. As you probably know, cats and dogs often have a love/hate relationship. But as we and many other Bengal owners know, Bengals are more like a dog than a cat. They love to follow you around as they chatter to you.
When I take my dogs out for a walk around the farm, our pet Bengals Beau D'Jango and Nutty are usually leading the way. They like to jump on the dogs then run off — they are so cheeky!
When introducing your kitten and dog do so in a relaxed atmosphere and praise your dog for being gentle. It maybe tense at the start but over time they usually end up being best of friends and may even sleep next to each other.
Checkout our Instagram page of our dog Boo playing with a kitten. We love seeing how they play with her and make sure they are exposed to our dog regularly.
It's simple!. We breed Bengals and are constantly trying to improve our lines by producing quality kittens with exceptional markings, great personalities and health is our top priority.
We have been breeding our Bengals for 12 years and have seen many people come and go. We are here to protect the quality and pedigree of Bengals in NZ. Health is very important to us as we know our kittens become part of the family. We would not want to put any family through the heartache of losing their pet due to bad breeding. That is why we do our best to breed healthy kittens. We are here to support our pet owners and care about the welfare of our Bengals.
A Registered breeder will provide a pedigree certificate of ownership from NZCF. Knowing this means you are getting a Pedigree Bengal Cat and not a Bengal cross. They are there to support you and answer any questions. They are bound to a code of ethics to provide exceptional care for their cats and support to new owners.
We care about our cats, kittens and new owners. It's what we do, and believe in honesty and integrity.
Trademe is still a place where registered Breeders sometimes advertise their kittens. Do your homework and ask questions , always buy a desexed kitten as why should you add to the growing population of feral cats in this country.
When we introduced our puppies to the cats, we did find the cats were a bit scared. But over two weeks through controlled introductions, the dogs stopped chasing and the cats stopped running away. Now it’s one big happy family
I would suggest if you currently have a dog and are getting a Bengal, introduce them slowly. Make sure your Bengal has a safe secure place where it can survey its new surroundings and other pets. You can put your kitten into its carry box so that the other pets can sniff it and slowly be introduced. Let your kitten out to explore its new home and allow the other pets to watch on from outside. After a while each party will know they have a new pet friend, then you can have controlled sniffing — which is their way of getting to know each other!
Be aware that your Bengal is going to be the BOSS!
If you have dogs make sure the cat food is placed where the dog cannot get it.
You will need to go to the Cargo area of the airport we are flying your kitten to. Click Here to be taken to the Air New Zealand Cargo Contacts and address page.
Our Mature Cats are fed on BlackHawk Chicken & Rice Adult Biscuits and Butch Tasty roll. This produces beautiful shiny pelts and large cats.
Our kittens are weened onto BlackHawk Chicken & Rice Kitten Biscuits and Butch Tasty Roll.
We also provide a care sheet explaining all the questions you may have when you get your new kitten.
This is a good question as cats are nocturnal animals. We recommend keeping cats in at night because it protects them from any stray cats that may be roaming around in your area or wondering onto dimly lit roads at night.
I recommend a crate with a hammock in it. This provides them with their own space, secure food and water and kitty litter if still in the kitten stage. It’s a place where they know it is bed time and it’s time to sleep. Just like children, they need a routine — instilling good habits makes for a happy cat! The last thing you want is a Bengal jumping in your window at two in the morning wanting to have a conversation about where they have just been and who they got chatting to, oh and by the way I am hungry, where’s the food?!
This really depends on you and your environment. There are benefits to both, and its best to do some research on this. As we live in a rural area, our pet cats are free to come and go from the house. They love to climb trees and give their claws a good scratch. We are very particular with sprays in our area and have asked neighbours to let us know if they intend to use chemical sprays. By knowing this, we can keep our cats in. Otherwise they can walk through freshly sprayed areas and get sick from licking the spray off their coats. Being outdoor cats, they are stimulated by their environment and appear to be very happy.
If you are planning to keep you cat in, just make sure you are prepared to spend five minutes a few times per day to play with your adult cat. For a kitten this should be 10 times a day or more. Bengals love the interaction with you and its great bonding time. I especially love a toy called Da Bird, it’s a feather on a bouncy stick. This simulates a bird in flight, and boy, you can get your Bengal to perform some really good acrobatics. Make sure you always supervise them when playing with a toy like this, as you do not want them to get tangled up in the string (as well as maybe having to buy shares in the company—they really enjoy pulling the feathers out if allowed!).
We came up with that name because a group of wild cats is a pride, and Eire is the old name for Ireland.
Damian is from a small fishing village called Howth, which is in County Dublin, Ireland. He has lived in New Zealand for well over 20 years . Damian is married to Theresa, who is half Irish and half Kiwi. Hence why we had to have a bit, actually a lot of Irish in our Cattery.
Yes! But the great thing is we do that for you. You will need to register him/her on the NZCAR, which can be done when you get his second vaccination at your own vet, or simply do it online. We highly recommend getting this done, as we have heard so many stories about animals being reunited with their owners because they were microchipped.
If you would prefer to skip the kitten stage, then yes, a retired cat would be perfect for you. They would do best in a one-cat household so that they can enjoy getting all of your attention in their retirement. It may take a few weeks for them to come around to you, as their lives would have changed from being a full male/female to being desexed. Once they are settled, they make great companions and will give you immense joy.
Bengals need stimulation, so if you are at work all day make sure that they have plenty of safe toys to play with. A scratching post is a must as when they wake up they just love to scratch at it. We often recommend getting a pair of kittens, if you need to leave your pets by themselves all day. If your budget does not stretch to two Bengals and you live in Auckland, check out Hope Rescue South Auckland, Gutter kitties Whangaparoa or any rescue place near you . They are often wanting homes for kittens and do an amazing job caring for their cats.
While they are in the kitten stage it is best to leave food out for them. We leave biscuits out all day for our cats. After ten months of age, feed them twice a day. We also find that if you have dogs it may pay to put their food on a surface out of reach from them.
NO, we are also strong advocates for desexing any pet. There are many rescue organizations out there that spend most of their funding caring and desexing feral cat colonies. We do not want to add to this nationwide issue. We want our kittens to become cats that are loved and cared for by their owners. We do not want our kittens once they come of age to be out fighting with neighbouring cats. If they are full of hormones they are more likely to fight and roam, increasing their risk of being hurt, seriously injured or maimed. We sponsor Gutter Kitties, Whangaparaoa, and see a lot of what they have to deal with only because people aren't desexing their animals. It really is so preventable and so much kinder to the animals
We work with our vet to provide exceptional care to our kittens when they are being desexed. Our vet has the latest equipment and best anesthetic. Females have internal stitches and the males have keyhole surgery. This means there will be no stitches for you to take out once you get your kitten.
Here is a good article if you would like to read some more:
We desex our kittens at 12 weeks of age. Our female kittens have their operation with internal stitching, there are no nasty wounds that may open. The boys have keyhole surgery, making it a very safe operation. We then keep them for another week to ensure that they recover from their operation before going to their new homes.
Being a member of NZCF means that we abide by a code of conduct. One of these rules requires us to not let our kittens go without being desexed — this not only protects our breeding programme but it means there will be no unwanted pregnancies.
Bengals absolutely love water, so watch out when you are trying to have a relaxing bath! We brush our Bengals with a plastic glove brush. This removes any loose fur and they just love the attention. I also use a product called Nootie. It’s a dry shampoo that gives the cats a lovely smell.
Yes we do. We have been sending Bengal kittens all around New Zealand for many years. The kittens arrive safely at your local Air NZ Cargo terminal in their airline approved crate. They are only too happy to meet their new owns at the other end.
Our good friend Emma Vandermeer, created our website. I think she has done a wonderful job, so contact us if you would like her to design one for you.
Yes, we are delighted to say they are legal in NZ. Once they are five generations removed from The Asian Leopard cat, they can be imported into NZ.
All our Bengals are more than 5 generations removed from The Asian Leopard Cat. This creates a domestic cat with a good personality and a striking appearance.
It is essential that you hold onto your Pedigree certificate because you will need to produce this if you decide to move counties .
Our prices are on our current kittens page. Keep an eye on this page as from time to time we can provide a discount.
We try to keep our prices down and intend to have repeat customers who choose to come back to us (Bengals are addictive). We feed our kittens and cats Premium cat food, never skimp on vet treatments and work many hours daily caring for our girls and boys. We enjoy what we do and feel pride in what we produce .
Here is a link to a great website describing the different types of Bengal colours along with some genetic information.